What Armor do you need to Protect Yourself from the World’s most popular guns and ammunitions?
There are over a hundred different types of gun available on the weapons market today. But what type of armor do you need to protect from the most popular weapons? SafeGuard Clothing have put together a guide on seven of the most popular guns and types of ammunition available and the types of armor that will protect from their bullets.
There is a surprising amount that people don’t know about body armor. Of course, there are many types and they are each engineered with a new level of intricacy. There’s always more to be understood, particularly when it comes to body armor. Nevertheless, many do not understand the protection available in bullet resistant (or bullet proof, as they’re frequently known) vest, and see it as either complete protection against any weapon or an archaic throwback that today’s modern weapons simply decimate. So which one is correct? . . .
To put it simply, both are correct. Or neither, depending on your viewpoint. Bullet proof vests are available at a variety of levels according to the protection they offer. And while most vests are incredibly strong, they will only protect you against certain kinds of ammunition. The highest levels of bullet proof vests are capable of protecting against some incredibly powerful rounds, but won’t stand up to everything. Conversely, lower levels cannot guarantee protection against the more powerful weapons, but will still provide you with a great deal of protection.
Also, a stab and eged blade proof vest will not protect you from a hail of bullets. The same goes vice versa… A bullet proof vest is not engineered to tarb a blade and therefore probably will not protect you from a knife attack.
The levels available in a bullet proof vest are governed by the US National Institute of Justice, which is widely recognized as being the world leader in ballistics testing. The testing standards outlined by the NIJ allows for these levels – NIJ Levels– to be assigned to bullet proof vests according to the size, strength, and speed of the ammunition it can protect you against. Below are some of the most common rounds, the most popular rounds, and the most famous rounds available, and what level of body armor you will need to protect against each.
9mm Parabellum
The 9×19 mm Parabellum, commonly known as simply the ‘9mm’, was developed at the beginning of the 20th century for German manufacturer DWM. The 9mm is credited as being the most widely used handgun ammunition in the world, and is commonly used by Law Enforcement Officers across the globe. The 9mm is often cited as the reason semiautomatic pistols became more popular than revolvers. At higher velocities a Level II vest is needed, but at lower velocities a 9mm will be stopped by a Level IIa vest.
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP, or .45 Auto, was created for the prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol developed by John Browning. It was first released in 1904, but only gained popularity in 1911 when it was adopted by the US Army for use in its M1911 pistol. Following this it became far more popular, thanks in part to its moderate recoil and high velocity. The .45 ACP also benefits from a low muzzle flash, but is heavy and costly to produce. Protecting against this round requires a vest at Level IIa.
10mm Auto
The 10mm Auto, usually shortened to simply ‘10mm’, was a joint design between the United States and Sweden and first introduced in 1983. Despite boasting superior stopping power, the 10mm never gained the popularity of its shorter counterpart (the.40 S&W). It did, however, gain popularity among certain branches of Law Enforcement, most notably the rescue and SWAT teams of the FBI. The 10mm was designed to be used in semi-automatic pistols, but suffers from high recoil. To stop the 10mm Auto you will need a Level IIa vest.
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is named for its manufacturer, Smith & Wesson, and was originally designed to be used by Law Enforcement Agencies. This rimless cartridge did gain popularity among Officers after its introduction in 1990, partly due to its performance against similar rounds, offering both superior power and improved recoil. The .40 S&W was created as a shorter alternative to the 10mm Auto. Protecting against the .40 S&W will require a Level IIa bullet resistant vest.
.357 SIG
Introduced in 1994, the .357 SIG was designed by its namesake, Swiss manufacturer Sig Sauer. Apart from its reduced recoil, the .357 SIG is practically identical to the .357 Magnum in terms of performance, yet is known for being more reliable. For example, one of the benefits of the .357 SIG is its compatibility with autoloader platforms. However, the .357 SIG never gained the popularity of other similar rounds, perhaps because of its lack of adoption by Law Enforcement organisations. A Level IIa bullet proof vest is needed against this calibre of ammunition.
.357 Magnum
The .357 Magnum, or simply .357, is credited with beginning the ‘Magnum era’ of handgun ammunition after its introduction in 1934, and has found popularity worldwide. This round was developed in the 1930s by Smith & Wesson in an effort to re-establish themselves as the leading law-enforcement armament provider. The .357 is well-known for its stopping power, and is largely fired from revolvers, although it can be fired from certain semi-automatics, notably the Desert Eagle. A vest at Level II will protect against this ammunition.
.44 Magnum
The .44 Magnum is one of the most famous rounds in the world, featured most famously in the film Dirty Harry. The film is often attributed with the rise in popularity of the bullet, as it had remained relatively unknown for the 16 years previous. The .44 Magnum is famous for its stopping power, which naturally causes muzzle flash and high recoil. The .44 Magnum will need a Level IIIa bullet proof vest.
By Chris Taylor, Safeguard Clothing
I would suggest you go ahead and delve into the types of body armor required to stop more common rifle rounds. There is a huge amount of disinformation in the blog o sphere, and on national news channels, as evidenced by the comment the Dallas Chief of Police made about “armor piercing” rounds being used by the shooter in downtown Dallas. He said their vests couldn’t hold up to the armor piercing bullets being used. First of all, the shooter was using a 7.62 x 39 caliber rifle. And the bullets were indeed full metal jacket, but certainly not armor piercing. He never did go on to say that the officers’ vests were never designed to stop a rifle round, or clarify that the bullets used were not armor piercing. (Never let a crisis go to waste comes to mind…) So while it is hard to stop a rifle round with anything but a steel or ceramic plate, I think it is important your readers know what it takes to defend against rounds from not just handguns but rifles as well. Just my two cents worth…
the Safeguard link is a sales pitch but interesting .. read the NIJ ink first to get some of the language and definition of “the industry”. What I find interesting here is what has been denied or made illegal. Check out Australia. CBS did a completely biased coverage on “Guns in America” yesterday.. it very clearly touted Australia as a shining example of how they think it should work here in the USA. Lots of emotional coverage .. and left almost ALL of the important questions unasked.. of the ones asked they were asked in a leading manner to elicit a prescribed response. They started the show with they had no opinion and it was not a biased approached. Bravo Sierra! It was intellectually biased at best.. as well as politically biased .. at worst it was a paid for by the left show.
You had better read that part if nothing else as it is fact not hearsay .. My short takeaway would be you will not be allowed to own or posses anything that protects you from weapons that only police and government can possess. That includes body armor. (Read James Wesley Rawles and Mark Goodwin). That is what Australia did, with regard to weapons.
NIJ Doc link – Nice doc.. typical government doc it’s redundant in the extreme and seems fairly thorough. It does fall short in that it is not a current doc (2008).. fair enough but by that it leaves off any exotics of course.. and it would be impossible to keep current I suppose. So Level III for rifle rounds (it stops at .308/7.62 NATO and Level IV .308/30-06.. Armour Piercing as in an M1/M2. It provides the standard with examples, but not results of testing various loads and or types against the different levels. I won’t recap the table (Appendix A table 10). It does provide a common terminology which is helpful.
doesn’t mention 5.56 (odd)… One infers by relative strengths what “Other” calibers would require.
good post JR
GG58
Agree with GotUR6.
Would recommend only Level IV as choice. Stops standard 5.56 NATO SS-!09 or M855 which are standard rounds the authorities are likely to use.
Biggest factor for choice is cost vs. weight. The lighter the more expensive. Buy the best you can afford. Extra weight reduces mobility, accentuates need for physical fitness.